Device for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine



May 19, 1970 w. H. HULAK 3,512,611

DEVICE FOR LUBRICATING THE STRANDING CORE IN A FAST STRANDING MACHINEFiled April 10. 1968 v United States Patent 3,512,611 DEVICE FORLUBRICATING THE STRANDING CORE IN A FAST STRANDING MACHINE Werner HeinzHulak, Rheinberg, Germany, assignor t0 Fried. Krupp Gesellschaft mitbeschrankter Haftung, Essen, Germany Filed Apr. 10, 1968, Ser. No.720,109 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 11, 1967, 1,685,827Int. Cl. F16n 27/00 US. Cl. 18415 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Adevice for lubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machinehaving a stranding rotor with a wire incoming end and a wire outgoingend, in which said rotor near its wire outgoing end is equipped with atransverse spray head to spray lubricant onto a stranding core passingthrough said spray head means, lubricant being conveyed to said sprayhead means in a continuous manner by a pump outside said rotor.

The present invention relates to a device for lubricating the strandingcore in a fast stranding machine.

When producing metallic wire strands on stranding machines, it isfrequently necessary that the core wire, and when a plurality of wirelayers are employed, also the inner layer wires, are lubricated with ananti-corrosion grease whereas the cover layer wires must remain dry.

With steel-aluminum overhead stranded wires, which consist of a steelwire as stranding core and of six or seven aluminum wires as coverlayer, and which, as a rule, are produced on fast stranding machines,heretofore two methods of lubricating the stranding core have beenknown.

According to the first method, the stranding core is lubricated alreadywhen applying, the core wire to the core wire spool. This has thedrawback that the core Wire spool itself as well as all machine elementswhich the core wire has withdrawn from said spool passes to thestranding or twisting point, for instance, guiding nipple, and a rollerstraightening device, are soiled in operation within a short time and toa considerable extent.

According to the second method, the stranding core is only shortly priorto the application of the cover layer wires lubricated by being passedthrough a heatable lubricant containing vessel which is arranged at thecorresponding end of the stranding rotor. This method is disadvantageousbecause the mounting, heating, and refilling of the lubricant containingvessel requires considerable time and effort. First of all, the saidcontainer requires in the stranding rotor a space which is approximatelyequal to the space required by a core or layer spool. The heating can beeffected only electrically while the electric energy has to be suppliedthrough two collector rings which, in conformity with safety regulationshave to be covered in operation. Finally, it can hardly be avoided thatwhen refilling the vessel, grease is splashed against the walls of thestranding rotor and soils the same. Solidifying grease lumps on thestranding rotor furthermore cause imbalances in operation which canresult in disturbing vibrations and even in damage to the strandingrotor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device forlubricating the stranding core in a fast stranding machine, which willovercome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device as set forthin the preceding paragraph which will make it possible to cover thestranding core directly prior to the application of the cover layerwires with a lubricant layer of a uniform thickness variable at willwithout soiling the stranding rotor of the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawing diagrammatically illustrating a lubricant deviceaccording to the invention installed in a fast stranding machine.

The objects outlined above have been realized according to the presentinvention by providing a transverse spray head at the end of thestranding rotor through which spray head the stranding core passes. Thespray head receives the lubricant in a continuous way from a deliverypump arranged outside the stranding rotor and through the interventionof a slide ring seal and a conduit.

According to a further development of the invention, the delivery pumpis adapted to be driven from the stranding rotor of the fast strandingmachine through an infinitely variable transmission. In this way, itwill be possible to cover the stranding core which may, incidentally,consist of a stranded Wire or stranded hemgp, directly prior to applyingthe cover layer wires with a layer of lubricant of uniform thickness andof a thickness which may be varied at will, without running the risk ofsoiling the stranding rotor of the machine and without the necessity ofhaving to lengthen the stranding rotor of the machine by the length of aspool field in order to make space for a lubricant containing vessel. Ifit is necessary to straighten or align the stranding core, this can beef' fected prior to covering the stranding core with the lubricant sothat the lubricant will not be stripped off by the alignment. rollers.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be noted that in theinterior of a tubular stranding rotor 1, which may be rotatablysupported by supporting rollers, e.g. of the type of the supportingrollers of the high speed stranding machine of US. Pat. No. 2,147,065,there are provided five spools 2 which in the direction of the axis ofsaid stranding rotor 1 are arranged one behind the other in spacedrelationship to each other. The layer wires 3 which are withdrawn fromthe spools 2 are passed along the same to the tapering end portion 4. Afurther blind wire 5 which forms the stranding core is withdrawn from aspool (not shown) which is located on the lefthand side and outside ofthe stranding rotor 1, is passed through the hollow bearing stud ortrunnion of the stranding body 1 and passed first into the interior ofthe stranding body 1 and from there to the outer wall and along thesame. The said wire 5 is then by means of a deviating roller 6 arrangednear the last layer spool 2 again introduced into the interior of thestranding rotor 1 and passes along the axis of rotation of said rotor 1through a roller straightening or aligning device 7 and through atransverse spray head 8. It is within this spray head 8 that saidstranding core forming wire 5 is covered with a lubricating layer ofuniform thickness. After the wire 5 has left the right-hand end 4 of thestranding rotor 1, it is in a manner known per se (not shown) strandedwith the layer wires 3 and is then conveyed through a withdrawing deviceto a winding-up bobbin or reel.

The transverse spray head 8 receives the lubricant from a delivery pump9 which is stationarily located outside the stranding rotor 1 near theleft-hand end thereof and is driven from the stranding rotor through achain drive 10 and an infinitely variable transmission 11. The deliverypump 9 imparts to the lubricant a pressure of approximately 12 kg. percm. gage overpressure or above atmospheric pressure and delivers aquantity of lubricant which corresponds to the stranding speed and canbe adjusted by correspondingly adjusting transmission 11. The lubricantis passed through a slide ring seal in the bearing 12 of the strandingrotor 1 into a conduit 13 which extends along the wall of the strandingrotor up to the transverse spraying head 8.

The wire forming the stranding core may instead of being withdrawn froma spool outside the strand rotor also be withdrawn from one of thespools within the stranding rotor. In this instance, that spool which isclosest to the stranding point serves as core spool whereas theremaining spools receive the layer wires.

As will be evident from the above, the device according to the presentinvention also makes it possible instead of covering the stranding corewith a layer of lubricant, to cover the stranding core with a layer ofother plastic materials as far as such materials, if necessary in heatedcondition, can be conveyed through conduits and the transverse sprayinghead.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular embodiment shown in the drawing, butalso comprises any modification within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A stranding rotor having a wire incoming end and a wire outgoing endfor use in a fast stranding machine relative to which a wire strandingcores passes, which includes: spray head means arragned near said wireoutgoing end and including passage means for conveying the strandingcore therethrough, and means communicating with said spray head meansfor continuously conveying a lubricant to said spray head means fordosing lubricant to said stranding core exclusively corresponding to thefeed rate of the core commensurate to the stranding speed of saidstranding rotor, said spray head means being operable to apply lubricantselectively only internally with respect to said stranding core movingthrough said passage means.

2. A stranding rotor according to claim 1, in which said meanscommunicating with said spray head means includes a lubricant forwardingpump outside said rotor and also includes slide ring sealing means andtube means supported by said rotor.

3. A stranding rotor according to claim 2, which includes infinitelyvariable transmission means interposed between and driving connected tosaid stranding rotor and said lubricant forwarding pump.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,426 12/1938 Hodson 184-152,180,875 11/1939 Kinder 57-35 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 360,213 9/ 1922Germany. 1,206,332 12/1965 Germany.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 57-35

